About

"Melissa Tran's artistic practice interweaves performance, video, sculpture, and photography into mediations on loss, language, and transformation -- both in the human experience and in cultural tradition."

Alison Hearst, Assistant Curator, The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

BIO

Melissa Tran is an artist, educator, and museum professional originating from New Orleans, Louisiana.

She received her MFA in Interdisciplinary Studio Art from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and her BFA in Photography / Digital Media from the University of Houston.

Tran is currently living and working in Los Angeles, California.

STATEMENT

Tran's work stems from an ongoing interest in traces, such as through identity and culture that run parallel to her interest in static and moving images as remnants of what once was. These traces serve as references to specific ephemeral moments in time that are contained within instances of imagery and materiality. She continues to investigate themes of inheritance of identity and culture through genealogy, and the disparities of language in translating and communicating meaning.

The artist in Svalbard during a residency at The Arctic Circle.Photo by Ashley Gordon.